Social Groups are here! - Page 6

[Cynthia Mosher]

Originally Posted by dealic 

The April 2012 DDC is considering moving to a social group. We are wondering if we can migrate all our threads there, or if we have to start fresh. What do we need to do to move? I am willing to be a leader, as is zuzusplace. Possibly others will be interested too.

Unfortunately we cannot migrate old threads over. I can open the group for you now but I need to know if you want it open or closed. I will place you and zuzusplace as leaders. 

[dealic]

We want it closed please. And can we keep our DDC too? So we don't lose threads while we get set up.

[Cynthia Mosher]

I'll set it up now and we'll close the DDC after you transition over. :)

[philomom]

I'm so sick of this social group thing. I wanted to post just now in a thread about making a will and getting life insurance and I couldn't post because its a closed group. Sigh... I hate this.

[~Adorkable~]

Yeah I do feel it is really cutting off folks from each other.
I can see the good in a finding your tribe context that we can have various threads now. But I see them as really breaking down in general.

The big issue is actually that folks are doing too much general discussion and general pregnancy discussion in the DDCs, rather than the larger I'm Pregnant forum or other places where a particular topic belongs.
Threads like that used to get moved to the appropriate place, not sure how much that is still happening. I'm particularly aware of this because I used to be an ambassador for the DDC groups and so casualy browsed them and helped out. Now I can't even respond to most of them in a time when I see it becoming more and more needed. The "closed" groups IMHO are a particularly bad thing. The mentality they suggest, that folks are "let in" and that thoughts and interaction with the community as a whole is not welcome is sad and quite possible destructive to the core of mdc. Since DDCs are so often the first place folks come here for and spend time, it is also where they learn community habits.
If the DDCs continue to be closed groups and threads within them continue to run the gambit of what should have been posted elsewhere, the fundamental nature of mdc is will shift. Now chafe in itself is not a bad thing and can often be great. That brig said, I do not see how this can be good for us and our long term population. If ladies don't explore and interact with the various areas and all they have to offer, they won't come to them when they have the need after the babies are born. Won't probably even know we have a area that covered a particular topic.

Anyway, rambling this morning, this has really been bothering me, really making me sad for what I see it doing to a place I came to just to talk pregnancy and now find it useful in soooo many other areas of my life.

[mamarhu]

Buzzer Beater has volunteered as coleader. Please let us know what (if anything) we do next. Thanks.

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by ~Adorkable~ 

Threads like that used to get moved to the appropriate place, not sure how much that is still happening. I'm particularly aware of this because I used to be an ambassador for the DDC groups and so casualy browsed them and helped out. Now I can't even respond to most of them in a time when I see it becoming more and more needed. The "closed" groups IMHO are a particularly bad thing. The mentality they suggest, that folks are "let in" and that thoughts and interaction with the community as a whole is not welcome is sad and quite possible destructive to the core of mdc. Since DDCs are so often the first place folks come here for and spend time, it is also where they learn community habits.
If the DDCs continue to be closed groups and threads within them continue to run the gambit of what should have been posted elsewhere, the fundamental nature of mdc is will shift. Now chafe in itself is not a bad thing and can often be great. That brig said, I do not see how this can be good for us and our long term population. If ladies don't explore and interact with the various areas and all they have to offer, they won't come to them when they have the need after the babies are born. Won't probably even know we have a area that covered a particular topic.
 

I agree, these social groups aren't good for long-term population.

As it stands April DDC is closing their group because they didn't like some of the responses to their (open) circumcision thread.  And, prior to that, many DDCs were starting more active groups on Facebook.  Whilst DDCs aren't the only thing this forum has to offer, less and less people visit, so active members find somewhere else to go because of the low traffic and voila, the forum closes due to inactivity.  I hope they are able to do something to turn it around.

[MadiMamacita]

I would like to propose a group for DDC September 2012. I will volunteer to be a group leader. I don't know anyone else yet to be a co-leader (kind of the point of a DDC!) and I'd like the group to be open.

[bootsvalentine]

Our August 2012 DDC now says there are no discussions???

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by bootsvalentine 

Our August 2012 DDC now says there are no discussions???

All groups are having this issue on my computer.

[~Demeter~]

Has there been no response about this? I started a totally new thread here last night and it's still not up. There's still no discussion posts. I'd like to say I'm patiently waiting but I'm not very patient in general, lol.

[DeepLove]

Yeah what is going on? 

[AdinaL]

All groups are having this issue.  We think it might have something to do with a software update.  We have let the folks who can fix it know about the issue, and hopefully it will be resolved shortly.  I'm super sorry for the issue. 

[~Demeter~]

Thanks for the response, Adina. I appreciate it :)

[BennyPai]

I'm glad it's being resolved... anxiously waiting for news of those last new arrivals in our December DDC social group!!!

[Partaria]

Another user and I have been talking in the Unplanned c-section after long labor Support Thread over in the Cesarean forum. We'd like to create a group for mamas who have gone through long labours, ending in c-sections. The thread has gotten pretty lengthy, and we'd really like to set up a community of women who can support each other as we heal from our experiences.

How do we go about doing this? We would both be willing to be co-leaders.

[~Adorkable~]

the above poster brings up a question about Social groups in general, is there a guideline or limit to what can be turned into a group?  i totally agree with the need for that support thread and I'm one of the folks that voiced my support for the Cesarean forum in general. but i think that the cesarean forum is the support network for those ladies, splitting it off into a social group for each particular circumstance would pull folks more apart.  i think when folks look for info and support about their c section, they search and find that Cesarean form, do we want them to have to find a second place as well?

lots of the ongoing issues apply to nearly everyone in that forum, healing from the surgery, Vbac choices, caring for baby while healing. would all of these be talked about in the side group rather than with the other moms that are also talking about them?

another version of this would be if we started a separate Social Group for "ladies pregnant with their first child", yes they have tons in common and questions that are unique to them, but again most of their issues are better included in the larger "Im Pregnant" forum. often they have a thread or two about their unique things, but they are coexisting in the larger pregnant community and i think getting more cross pollination and info because if it.

**this thought of mine has nothing what so ever to do with cesarean in general, it is just the example that got posted. i reaaaly do not mean to mix any feeling about c-section in to this observation.

*** and yes if you haven't noticed, i am very concerned about the social groups fragmenting our community beyond recognition and usefulness. i just keep asking myself what this place will look like to a newcomer looking for info, specially one that tends to lurk and would be intimidated to join a group right away

Edited by ~Adorkable~ - 2/15/12 at 1:22pm

[Partaria]

I hear what you're saying, Adorkable. Hmm. I wonder if there's a way to have both our concerns addressed.

I think we both have the same intentions. Wanting women to be able to access a support network. Our feeling about this was that when a woman has a long labour with an unplanned c-section at the end of it, she often has some issues and a journey to healing that can be specific to that particular birth journey. For example, often women in this situation end up with symptoms of PTSD, which is a bit different than PPD, and its own specific 'beast.'

While we certainly have tons in common with c-section mamas, there is such a huge spectrum of c-section experiences. There's the mama who knows in advance she will have one, and then other mamas who try for hours, sometimes days, then end up devastated with a c they didn't see coming. I certainly want to find a way for us to honor all these voices and experiences.

We wanted a place where women with the particular  'long-labour then holy cow blindsided by a c-section' experience could group together various threads about their healing journey, sharing where they are, what works, what doesn't. To me, it's more of an organizational issue. We just wanted a space where all the threads about this particular birth journey could live together, for more easy access. :)  The one thread about this has grown long, and some very useful insights are sort of hidden away in the jumble. We just wanted a space to let the conversation breathe more. Especially since it has become clear that the conversation is a very robust one, with mamas at very different points in their emotional journey. I see conversations about more broad c-section issues, like the ones you bring up (VBACs, etc), being moved to or encouraged to move to the general c-section forum, where all mamas who've had c's of any kind can benefit from the info.

If you are concerned about fragmentation, I'm wondering if there's maybe a way to do like, a sub-forum inside the c-section forum? Would that be useful? Also, how private are groups? Is there a way to make it so that they are able to be searched and read by anyone? 

I'm glad you brought up the issue of lurkers and/or shy mamas. I wouldn't want them to be scarred away by a closed group either. 

[~Adorkable~]

Partaria, thank you for listening to me concerns, that is really wonderful.  

I want to state clearly that I am in no way in charge of anything here and the choices are not not mine, I'm a member of the community like you. I'm wondering if this a group of ladies that would find what they are looking for in the "Healing Birth Trauma"  or come combo of places depending on what stage of things they are at.

I really want to say again how much I feel for and support your journey, nothing I say in anyway is meant to belittle or discount the place you are in. I would hate if i was doing that. I wonder if in fact 100's of moms around here feel like they or their small group are the only ones going thru something, when in fact is we share more in common more than we differ.

The thought that just popped into my mind was driving directions: the trip from my house to my moms is totally unique to me and that trip, no other trip has the exact set of turns that it will take me to get there. But along the way i drive on many roads that tons of other folks take to where they are going. If each of us had a path just for our drive, never sharing the roads, the journey would be a lot harder, a lot longer, less efficient.

Can you maybe look at the amazing roads that MDC and it's community has lovingly built and find a way to share them? I personally really think that you and the rest of us will benefit greatly from sticking together.

[Partaria]

Sure, that makes sense. I understand the idea that we're more alike than we are different. I guess I'm not sure I understand how having a group on MDC separates us from MDC. Since it's on MDC. I'm not trying to break off from anyone or segregate. I just want a corner of MDC where women with this same experience can support each other. Is there really a fundamental way this is different than the other groups, like due date clubs? or Military spouses? You could argue that due date clubs belong in Birth and Beyond.

I don't think moving the thread to Healing Birth Trauma is necessarily a solution. We are more looking for a place to let the conversation break out into more sub-threads so women can really focus on this particular post-birth journey. If only groups weren't closed... that would probably solve both of our concerns here.

I'll leave it up to the mods. :) I totally didn't mean to start a debate about MDC groups or anything. There are always other corners of the net for little groups too, so no biggie if it's not right for MDC. I do think it might be helpful in the future to put out clearer guidelines on what MDC is okay with in terms of groups. Does a group have to meet certain criteria before it can be approved to be a group? It sort of seems like maybe it does, but I'm not sure we as a community have taken the time to write those out. Might be useful.

Thanks for voicing your concerns, Adorkable! I think MDC is kept so supportive and positive because members like you really care about the community and the direction it takes.